SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is always changing and adding new sophisticated strategies to replace less effective optimization techniques. SEO strategies have evolved beyond backlinks and keywords to include analysis that will increase organic traffic. Take a look at some of the essential strategies for SEO in 2020.
Align your content with search intent.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, begins with the search. The first step to optimizing your target audience’s search is to understand the search intent behind their queries. Once you understand your audeince’s search intent, you can align your content with accordingly. When you pass Google’s litmus test on search intent, your page can find its way to ranking on the first page of Google.
There are four common types of search intent that you can align your content with:
- Informational: the searcher is looking for specific information and they receive either instant results or complex results that need further explanation.
- Navigational: the searcher is looking for a specific website or app.
- Commercial: the searcher is looking for a specific product but hasn’t committed to a specific brand name yet.
- Transactional: the searcher has made a purchase decision and has decided on a brand name.
Write a compelling tag title and meta description.
Tag titles are the headlines that pop up in search results. They give people just enough relevant information for them to want to click on the link to your web page. A compelling tag title includes target keywords that are descriptive, concise, and match the search intent. Search engine results typically display the first 50-60 characters of tag titles.
Beneath the tag title is a short summary of a page in SERPs (search engine results page) known as the meta description. While meta descriptions don’t influence search rankings, they can influence click-through rates. Search engines usually truncate meta descriptions to 155-160 characters. When writing an accurate meta description be sure to include target keywords and actional copy that align with search content.
Optimize your images.
You spend a lot of time curating the images you include in blog posts, social profiles, and product pages. Optimizing your images the right way can improve your web page’s SEO and increase organic traffic. The file format of your photos impacts site speed and overall web page size. Optimize your images by choosing the best file format—unless you want your images to slow down your web page load time, it’s essential to compress your images.
Providing alternative text for your images improves web accessibility and helps people understand your web page’s images. Lazy-load your images so that non-criticial images and media only load when users need them.
Remember that SEO wears several hats.
There are three different philosophies in the field of SEO, each of which uses a different SEO strategy. White Hat SEO utilizes sustainable techniques that work long-term and won’t earn any penalties from Google. Black Hat SEO utilizes the latest techniques regardless of how little they follow Google’s guidelines. These SEO tactics produce more short-term results over long-term results. Black Hat SEO tries to build a surplus of links to boost search engine rankings. Between the two is Grey Hat SEO, which employs Black Hat techniques for research purposes and takes a White Hat approach to achieve sustainable results.
Reputation Management SEO
Your online reputation determines every potential click or potential customer purchase. As a small business you have worked hard to make your online presence known and build a good reputation. Unfortunately, negative press, negative mentions, and negative reviews can cause reputation damage. If your company name appears in negative search results it can cause people to question your credibility and trustworthiness.
Reputation management companies use reputation management tactics to track brand mentions on web pages and lessen the reputation damage caused by negative content and bad reviews. Reputation managers specialize in shaping the positive content that appears in search engine results. The wider your brand’s influence, the stronger the reputation management strategy your SEO needs.
For example, Linkgraph provides seo reputation management services that span branded search results, high-authority publications, social media networks, online review sites, Wikipedia pages, and Google images. The digital marketing agency monitors search results for keyword queries or search terms with your branded name to ensure that only positive results appear on the first page of Google. Reverse SEO strategies, link building, and content marketing strategy help push negative results further down the result page so that positive results are the first results.
Your brand reputation plays a role in shaping your content marketing strategy. Online reputation management is the best way to maintain a good reputation and stay ahead of negative blogs, undesirable press releases, and negative online reviews.
These are the essential SEO strategies for 2020 that your business should implement. The right SEO tactics can optimize each piece of content you create to ensure you appear on the first page of search results.
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